President Bush's Energy Breakthroughs

President Bush, left, receives a tour of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, from Dr. Dan Arvizu, right, Director of National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2006 in Golden, Colo. Bush's trip to the site is part of a two-day, three-state trip to promote the energy proposals he outlined in his State of the Union address. Along the route, Bush has touted longer lasting lithium-ion car batteries and solar roof panels that can turn homes into mini power generators. Bush's visit to the government lab comes as his administration scrambled over the holiday weekend, just before he arrived, to restore the jobs of 32 people laid off in budget cuts. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Here are two interesting stories showing a contradiction in President Bush's energy policy. The first is titled, Bush: U.S. on Verge of Energy Breakthrough.

Here's the story off Yahoo News:

MILWAUKEE - Saying the nation is on the verge of technological breakthroughs that would "startle" most Americans,
President Bush on Monday outlined his energy proposals to help wean the country off foreign oil.

Less than half the crude oil used by refineries is produced in the United States, while 60 percent comes from foreign nations, Bush said during the first stop on a two-day trip to talk about energy.

Some of these foreign suppliers have "unstable" governments that have fundamental differences with America, he said.

"It creates a national security issue and we're held hostage for energy by foreign nations that may not like us," Bush said.

Bush is focusing on energy at a time when Americans are paying high power bills to heat their homes this winter and have only recently seen a decrease in gasoline prices.

One of Bush's proposals would expand research into smaller, longer-lasting batteries for electric-gas hybrid cars, including plug-ins. He highlighted that initiative with a visit Monday to the battery center at Milwaukee-based auto-parts supplier Johnson Controls Inc.

During his trip, Bush is also focusing on a proposal to increase investment in development of clean electric power sources, and proposals to speed the development of biofuels such as "cellulosic" ethanol made from wood chips or sawgrass.

Energy conservation groups and environmentalists say they're pleased that the president, a former oil man in Texas, is stressing alternative sources of energy, but they contend his proposals don't go far enough. They say the administration must consider greater fuel-efficiency standards for cars, and some economists believe it's best to increase the gas tax to force consumers to change their driving habits.

During his visit to Johnson Controls' new hybrid battery laboratory, Bush checked out two Ford Escapes — one with a nickel-metal-hybrid battery, the kind that powers most hybrid-electric vehicles, and one with a lithium-ion battery, which Johnson Controls believes are the wave of the future. The lithium-ion battery was about half the size of the older-model battery. In 2004, Johnson Controls received a government contract to develop the lithium-ion batteries.

"Our nation is on the threshold of new energy technology that I think will startle the American people," Bush said. "We're on the edge of some amazing breakthroughs — breakthroughs all aimed at enhancing our national security and our economic security and the quality of life of the folks who live here in the United States."

U.S. President George W. Bush speaks at the Johnson Controls Battery Building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, February 20, 2006. In a push to showcase his national energy policy, Bush is on a two-day trip to a battery plant for hybrid cars, a solar power enterprise in Michigan and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. REUTERS/Jason Reed

So basically, this was one of those White House-generated news and photo-ops that the PR people like to create to show the president is on the job for energy policy. Now this doesn't surprise me, since all past administrations play this PR game for whatever pet projects they want to push through, or whatever political issue comes up within the country. In this case, the political issue is energy policy and the White House is trying to play an "energy breakthrough" card, claiming that new technologies will help reduce the U.S. consumption of foreign oil--never mind the fact that these new technologies and breakthroughs will take ten--perhaps twenty--years or more to adapt the current energy infrastructure to take advantage of such "breakthroughs." But President Bush's "rah-rah" speech touting that energy breakthroughs are coming, is suppose to bring hope to the American public who is already facing sticker shock over increasing gas and home-heating prices.

But there was a slight problem with President Bush's energy-PR trip:

On Tuesday, Bush plans to visit the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., to talk about speeding the development of biofuels.

The lab, with a looming $28 million budget shortfall, had announced it was cutting its staff by 32 people, including eight researchers. But in advance of Bush's visit, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman over the weekend directed the transfer of $5 million to the private contractor that runs the lab, so the jobs can be saved.

The department "has been informed that the NREL lab director will use these funds to immediately restore all of the jobs that were cut earlier this month due to budget shortfalls," the department said in a statement Monday.

So while President Bush is touting his energy breakthroughs, the White House is cutting the budget for the National Renewable Energy Lab. This is specifically the type of research needed to wean the country off of foreign oil--and the lab has a $28 million budget shortfall, having to cut 32 people--including eight researchers. Talk about hypocrisy here! And what's even more amazing is that the White House is scrambling to transfer $5 million to keep the lab funded, and to keep the people employed. Of course, it is not good PR, when the president is visiting an energy research lab that has just faced budget cuts, staff layoffs, and the president wants to visit the lab to make feel-good speeches about how the United States is about to experience technology breakthroughs in alternative energy--just as the White House is cutting the budget for these alternative energy labs! Does that make any sense?

Now here's the White House's response to this little energy fiasco. The story is from Yahoo News, titled Bush Blames Cuts at Energy Lab on Mix-Up.

GOLDEN, Colo. - President Bush on Tuesday acknowledged that Washington has sent "mixed signals" to one of the nation's premiere labs studying renewable energies — by first laying off, then reinstating, 32 workers just before his visit.

The president blamed the conflicting message on an appropriations mix-up in funding the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which is developing the very renewable energy technologies the president is promoting.

"I recognize that there has been some interesting — let me say — mixed signals when it comes to funding," Bush said. "The issue, of course, is whether good intentions are met with actual dollars spent.

"Part of the issue we face, unfortunately, is that sometimes decisions made as the result of the appropriations process, may not end going to where it was supposed to have gone.

"We want you to know how important your work is," he said. "We appreciate what you're doing."

Two weeks ago, 32 workers, including eight researchers, were laid off at the lab.

Then, over the weekend, just before Bush's planned visit, the government restored the jobs.

His trip to the renewable energy laboratory is part of a two-day, three-state trip to promote the energy proposals Bush outlined in his State of the Union address.

At the direction of Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, $5 million was transferred to the Midwest Research Institute, the operating contractor for the lab, to get the workers back on the job, the Energy Department announced Monday.

Philip Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust, said the decision restores only $5 million of the $28 million budget shortfall at the lab that forced the layoffs.

"The $5 million stopped the bodies from going out the door, but it doesn't provide the money for the (renewable energy) programs," Clapp said.

At the lab, where Bush was holding a panel discussion of his energy initiatives, the president saw tanks where agricultural waste is fermented into ethanol. He was shown samples of polar, switchgrass and corn stalks — material the lab is studying in hopes of developing a cost-effective way to use it to make ethanol.

"You're doing great work here," said Bush, who picked up a bottle of clear-colored ethanol and smelled it.

So the $5 million was just enough to keep the workers employed, but it doesn't make up the rest of the $28 million shortfall. Just enough to keep the folks employed, so that Bush can say he's on the job for weaning the U.S. off the oil addiction. But not enough to make a dent on the oil addiction. The fact is, this administration could care less about the energy problems that the United States is facing--this is all about PR. It is all about deceiving the American public in showing that the president is on the job of solving the energy problem, even as the administration provides more tax cuts and subsidies to their Big Oil and Big Energy corporate special interests. It is all about publicity, and not policy. In a couple of weeks, this White House-generate PR blitz on energy policy will fade out. And once the energy issue fades from the public's consciousness, you can bet the budget cuts on these energy research programs will be enacted.

There will be no energy breakthroughs--not with this Republican-controlled government.